


Smoldering Impact

by AnnaTheHank



Series: Reverse!AU [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android Leo, Gen, Human AU, Human Markus (Detroit: Become Human), M/M, Markus is a love sick puppy in everything I write idk why don't ask me, he just has a lot of feels, jericho is the mafia, reverse au, this is their origin story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-03-10 00:22:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18927541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaTheHank/pseuds/AnnaTheHank
Summary: After an altercation with his father's android, Markus comes to realize that androids might just be people after all. He sets out to create a group of other humans that want to help the android cause, doing what needs to be done in the shadows to help the revolution succeed.





	1. Withdraw

**Author's Note:**

> I told y'all I'd write it! Technically this takes place before Point-Blank Forgery, but honestly, it's a complete stand alone.  
> Hope you all enjoy it, I know it's going to be fun to write.
> 
> And big shout out to this website for saving my soul  
> https://detroitbecometext.github.io/chapters

Markus sniffed, turning the pages over in his hands. He had to make sure he only took a few, and nothing too fancy. He’d never be able to move them if they were real masterpieces. Not like his father’s painted anything that good in years. 

He heard a click and looked over his shoulder. Leo, Carl’s stupid little android pet was standing there. 

“Markus?” Leo asked, head tilting slightly, that dumb LED spinning yellow.

“Oh, look who’s here,” Markus sneered. “My father’s plastic toy.” He chuckled and turned back to the paintings.

He heard the soft creak of his father’s wheelchair and frowned.

“Markus,” Carl said. “What are you doing here?”

Markus huffed, rubbing at his nose a bit. He stood up and turned around to his father. “You refused to help me, so I’m helping myself.” He huffed a laugh and held up one of the paintings. “You know what kind of crazy money people will pay for this shit?”

“Don’t touch ‘em!” Carl said, wheeling forward a bit.

Markus rolled his eyes at him. Of course. The old man wouldn’t give him any money, and now he won’t even let him make any money himself. “Look,” he said. “They’re all going to be mine sooner or later anyway. Just think of it as a downpayment on my inheritance.”

“Leo,” Carl whispered. “Get him away from there. Get him outta here!”

Markus had to stop himself from laughing out loud as the android approached him. “Sure. Send the plastic to do your dirty work.”

“Look, Markus, I’ve already called the cops. You should leave before you get in more trouble,” Leo said, leaning forward a bit and lowering his voice.

Markus bit his lip. There was a build up of tears in his eyes but he was certain it was just the withdraw. He sneered at Leo and looked over the android’s shoulder at his father. “All you ever do is tell me to go away. What’s the matter, dad? I’m not good enough for you? Not perfect like this fucking thing?”

“That’s enough!” Carl yelled. “Get out, now.”

“What makes it so special anyway, huh?” He looked back at Leo, sniffling and ignoring the itch in his arms. “What’s it got that I don’t?”

“Leave him alone!” Carl warned.

Markus shoved at the android, the one that was just sitting there, staring at him with an emotionless face while he and his father yelled at each other.

“C’mon!” Markus said, gesturing at the android. “Let’s see what you got!”

“Leo,” Carl said, his breath heavy. “Don’t defend yourself, you hear me? Don’t do anything.”

Markus laughed. Of course. This android wouldn’t do anything, couldn’t do anything. He just got an order to sit there and take it. And he would. Cause he was nothing more than an empty, plastic shell.

“Go ahead,” Markus taunted on. “Hit me! What are you waiting for? Think you're a man? Act like one!”

Markus shoved him again. Leo stared at him with that dumb, blank look as he stumbled back.

“Stop it, Markus!” Carl yelled out, rolling around, bits of sweat forming on his head.

“Oh, that’s right,” Markus said, chuckling. “I almost forgot. You’re not a real person, just a fucking piece of plastic!” he shoved Leo back then reached out, grabbing the android’s shirt and pulling him up close, missing the bright red in it’s LED. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “Listen to me. I’m gonna tear you apart. And nobody’s gonna give a shit. You know why? Cause you’re nothing. You hear me? You’re nothing!”

There was only a brief second between the time Leo’s face scrunched up and the time he shoved Markus hard. It was no time to react at all, and Markus tripped over his own foot as he stumbled backward, spinning around as he tried to stabilize himself. He saw the floor approaching fast. He shot his arms out to try and catch himself but the painting chair caught him first, slamming hard against the right side of his face. 

“Markus!” Carl cried. Markus tried to hold on, but his vision was swarming in black and there was a ringing in his ears. “Oh my god, Markus...my little boy…”

*

Markus opened his eyes, blinked, then realized he had only opened one eye. He reached a hand out to his head, which was throbbing in pain. He felt cotton against his right eye and everywhere he looked the room was white. Which was strange. Cause his apartment was painted yellow.

“Markus?” a soft voice asked.

Markus turned his head towards the sound. His father was there, holding Markus’ other hand, a single tear rolling down his cheek. 

The old man sighed in relief and smiled briefly. “Thank God you’re awake.”

Markus cleared his throat. “I’m sure God had nothing to do with it,” he croaked out. He licked at his lips, his mouth dry and salty.

Carl reached over to the table and held out a cup to him. Markus took it and gulped it all down, spilling a bit all over himself.

“What happened?” He asked, looking around at the IV dripping into his hand. 

“You hit your head,” Carl explained. He straightened up, stretching his back against his chair. “You were out for a week.”

Markus blinked his one eye and tried to remember what had happened. He had been fighting with Leo. Well, he had been antagonizing Leo and then Leo had attacked him. Okay, he had been torturing the android and it had defended itself. 

Against Carl’s orders.

That couldn’t happen, could it?

The door opened and a nurse walked in, all bright smiles and bounce in her step. “You’re very lucky,” she said as she placed a tray of food down for him. “Most patients here don’t have someone to wait up with them all that time.”

Markus looked over at Carl. “You’ve been here all week?”

“Of course,” Carl said with a slight shrug.

Of course. Just like that.

Markus looked down at his food but there was a cold weight settling in his stomach. He shivered and found his muscles were heavy, almost impossible to move.

It must just be the withdraw.


	2. Meet-Cute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a.k.a love-sick puppy Markus strikes again

Markus stood in the entryway to his father’s house, blinking at bit at the warm glow that engulfed him. He had heard that phrase a few times. But he had never really registered it. It was just some wired up machine that would let him in on the odd occasions he would actually come and visit his father. It was what had let him in the night a few days ago when he had come with the intent of stealing his father’s paintings.

“Welcome home, Markus,” the voice said as the door swung open.

Markus felt a lump form in his throat but he stepped through the threshold anyway. He spun his head this way and that, looking for where his father would be. He walked forward a bit, peeking his head around to check the study. 

He frowned, coming to a stop by the mirror. He glanced over at himself and almost chuckled. It was amazing how real it looked. Markus reached up and touched at the skin by his right eye. It was still a little scared and bruised, but the prosthetic eye sitting inside of it looked practically human. He had chosen to go with a different eye color for this one, a nice blue one. He had thought it’d look cool but he had to admit, standing there, attention bouncing between the two colors, it was a little off-putting.

“Can I help you?”

Markus startled and spun around, grabbing on to the little table for support. An android in a clean white outfit was standing at the top of the stairs. His head was tilted to the side a bit, in a mannerism matching Leo’s, and his face was furrowed.

“S-sorry,” Markus said. “I, uhm, I’m here to see my dad.”

“Oh, yes of course, you must be Markus.” The android gave him a tight little smile. “I’m afraid that Mr. Manfred just fell asleep. It’s imperative he gets his rest, but you’re more than welcome to wait here until he wakes up.”

“Uh. Uh, no that’s okay. Thanks but just...just tell him I’ll stop by tomorrow.”

Markus shoved his hands in his coat pockets and raced outside, walking away from the house as swiftly as he could without looking too much like a lunatic. He reached the city and leaned against one of the buildings, sighing a bit.

What was it about that android that had messed him up so much. Was it that he looked like Leo just a bit? At least in the way he held himself? Markus shook his head. He knew his father would need help around the house after what had happened to Leo. 

After he had gotten him...had gotten him…

Markus growled and pushed away, frowning as he joined the rest of the crowd. He needed something to calm himself down, he was too wound up. He scratched at his arm, knowing one thing that would never fail to take the edge off.

He lightly smacked at his forehead. No, no, no, he told himself. He had promised his father he would stop. And this time he meant it.

He decided a stroll through the little park might do him some good, get his mind off things and relax him a bit. There was a group of school children playing around on the park, chasing each other around as they played tag. Markus smiled briefly at them.

It was a serene moment, the cool breeze, the bird song, the laughter of children. And then…

A soft thud, followed by a voice laughing while saying, “look at it try to get up!”

Markus looked over to the other side of the park. Two young men, probably in their late teens, were laughing and pointing at one of the park androids that was lying on the ground.

“Kick it again,” the other one said.

The first one nodded and struck at the android with his foot, pushing it back to the ground as the two laughed. 

Markus felt a strange sort of flame burst inside of him. Didn’t these two idiots know what they were doing? Weren’t they aware of the consequences of their actions? They’d get hurt and that android would end up junked. Markus’ face tightened and his hands balled into fists. He couldn’t let that happen again.

But someone beat him to it.

“That’s enough.” The voice was soft, yet powerful and commanding. The boys stood to attention and Markus turned to look at who had entered the park.

He felt his heart skip a beat. The man walking up to the two was tall, with smooth dark skin and just a sprinkle of hair kept in a neat line. He was wearing a suit jacket over jeans and his face, even when formed into a frown, was symmetrical and handsome.

Markus felt his face start to heat up. He wanted to turn away and hide but his eyes were glued to the man, eating up a hunger inside of him he didn’t even know he had.

“Professor Monro!” the two young men said in unison, a shake to their voice.

Markus shook his head. There was no way a professor could be that cute.

“You two should leave now,” the professor said, shaking his head at the two of them.

“R-right!” they said, spinning around and racing out of the park.

Professor Monro reached down, holding his hand out to the android. The android gave him a funny look as he helped him up. 

“Sorry about them,” he said, smiling at the android. Markus didn’t know anyone could even be that attractive. When he smiled, it looked like he had little sparks of light coming out of his eyes and it made Markus a little woozy looking directly at him.

The android just nodded at the professor and walked away, going back to his job as if nothing unusual had happened. The professor sighed, his face falling a bit. Then he shook his head, and turned to continue his walk.

The two made eye contact briefly and Professor Monro smiled ever so softly at Markus, nodding his head at him as he walked.

Once he was past Markus let his breath out, doubling over, unaware he had been holding it in the first place. He shook his head, trying to get the image of that man out of his head. But it wouldn’t go away. Every time he closed his eyes the professor was there, with all that tall, lean muscle and sparkling eyes. 

Markus groaned softly. He really needed to get a grip.


	3. North and the Eden Club Gals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> crawls out of the pits of good omens hell  
> trashes about  
> falls back into the pit of dbh hell  
> ALSO  
> Be sure to check out cool art of the eden club gals!!!  
> https://artrabbitillustration.tumblr.com/post/187790075674/echo-and-ripple-from-anna-the-hanks-smoldering

Markus walked along the street, kicking a can of soda along with him. It had been another day. And that was about all he could sum up. He had stopped by his dad’s, as he had said he would. He just didn’t exactly go in, or say anything or do anything. So, really, he had kept his word.

Markus sighed, planting one foot and sending the can of soda spiraling down the alleyway. It knocked against a dumpster and Markus heard a soft cry. He blinked, looking off down the alley. There wasn’t enough light coming from the windows of the apartments around him to see well, but he was sure there was someone sitting on the other side of the dumpster.

Markus inched closer, craning his neck to try and see around it. It was probably just someone hiding out here doing drugs. Markus sniffed, half-hoping he could pick up on it and half-hoping he couldn’t. He never got close enough to find out.

As soon as Markus took another step forward, someone leaped out behind him, grabbing him around the shoulders, holding a sharp blade to his neck. 

“One more move and I gut you like a fish,” a harsh voice said behind him. 

Markus’ body seized up. He put his hands in the air a bit and gulped, causing the knife to dig into his skin a bit. “I don’t have any money,” he said.

“I don’t want your money,” the voice hissed. “I want you to turn around, walk away, and forget you were ever even here.”

Markus gulped again, cursing himself as the blade drew a bit of blood.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll go, I promise.”

There was a tense moment of silence where Markus thought he might actually be gutted, but then the hold released and the person behind him stepped away. 

Markus sighed in relief, holding a hand to his neck and turning to look at his attacker. It was a tall woman, with light red hair and a scowl on her face. She was holding a knife out, a warning just daring him to try something smart. Not that Markus was known for his smarts in the first place.

Markus kept his arms up, backing away from the woman. He glanced between her and the other dumpster and spied someone else looking back at him. It was another woman, but he couldn’t make much else out in the dark. What did stand out, however, was the bright yellow LED sitting on the side of her face.

Markus stopped moving, staring back at her. The other woman noticed this, looked between the two of them, then groaned, positioning herself in front of him. “I do hope you enjoy dying,” she said, sneering at him. 

The woman went to lunge at him but Markus backed up, holding his hands out before him. “Wait, wait, wait! I wanna help!”

The woman stopped, inches away, blade still pointing towards him. “What?”

“You’re helping them,” Markus said. “Aren’t you?”

The android who had been behind the dumpster stood up, a second android appearing next to her. They must have been the same model, with how similar they looked standing there in the low lighting. One had brown hair, the other blue. Markus smiled at them as best he could with the threat in the air.

“You want to help?” The woman asked, lowering her weapon a bit and giving him an unconvinced look. 

Markus nodded, slowly lowering his hands, watching to make sure she didn’t jump him again. “My name is Markus,” he told her. 

The woman looked him up and down and seemed to make the decision to trust him. She relaxed a bit, the blade hanging down by her side. “North,” she said. She gestured her head back at the two androids. “That’s Echo and Ripple.”

The two stepped closer, Markus able to get a better look at them in the lighting. They wore large coats that covered up what little clothes they already had.

“You’re from the Eden Club,” Markus said, just sort of stating the obvious as he had no idea what else he should say.

“Oh, so you know it.” North stiffened again, pulling the blade back up.

“No!” Markus said. “Well, yes, I mean, I know of it. Flyers are all over this place, you know. Never actually been there, of course.” That was a lie. As Markus had been there. He went there once on invitation of his old dealer. It hadn’t really been all that Markus had been led to believe it was. But he certainly wasn’t going to tell any of them that.

North eyed him up, keeping the blade in a sort of half-raised position. “How exactly do you plan to help?”

“Anyway you need,” Markus said. “I, uh, can help sneak you around, I know all the routes around here. I’ve got a place if you need somewhere to stay-”

“Not likely.”

“Help with sneaking it is then.” Markus tried to smile some more but it just turned into a strange sort of grimace. “You have a place in mind?”

“Jericho,” Echo said, breaking contact with Ripple and stepping up next to North. “The only safe place for us.”

Markus nodded at her. “You know where it is?”

Echo nodded back at him. 

“Right then. Jericho it is.”


	4. Leo's revival

Jericho was a hell of a trip getting to. They stayed in the shadows, hidden away in the alleyways as they moved. Echo would tell him a direction, Markus would walk out and make sure the path was clear, and then the four of them would skitter across to the next safe place.

"How do you know we're going the right way?" Markus asked as they crawled under a chain link fence. "We don't even have a map."

"We do," Ripple told him. She tapped on her head. "It's right up here."

Markus nodded, staring after them as they wandered into a parking lot. Must be nice, he figured, following after them. Having a map in your brain must be nice. Androids have a lot of things in their brains, and Markus may have been a bit jealous at that.

"Help me with this," North said, pushing a dumpster over to the side wall. 

Markus jumped over, grabbing the handle and pushing with her. "So," he said, grunting a bit as the stuck wheel scratched across the floor. "Where do you get a name like North?"

"In a little village called None of your Business." North gave the dumpster another shove, placing it up against the wall, and stood back, holding her arm out to Ripple.   
Ripple took North's hand and climbed up onto the dumpster, jumping up to the top of the building next to them. She reached down and helped Echo up, Markus turning his head away as Echo's coat opened, revealing her clothes that weren't.

"The button's broken," Echo said, frowning down at her coat as North climbed up. 

Markus jumped after them. "Oh, uh, here." He tugged his sweater over his shoulder and held it out to her. 

Echo looked up at him, blinking. She smiled softly and took the sweater. "Thank you," she said, pulling it over her head.

"Don't mention in." Markus ignored the look that North was giving him and led them down to the next alleyway. "Uh, where now?" He glanced around, looking at the tall buildings and non exits there were. 

For a brief moment, Markus worried he had been brought here to be murdered, and his body parts sold on the black market. He shook the idea from his mind. No, it was much too much work for these girls to bring him all the way here just for that.

Wasn't it?

"It's just up through there," Echo said, pointing up to a hole in the side of a building. 

Markus raised an eyebrow and looked at it. "H-how are we going to get all the way up there?"

North scoffed. Markus stood back and watched as the three women ran towards the various bits of scaffolding near one of the buildings. He knew that androids could do all kinds of crazy athletic things but he was impressed to watch North keeping up with them. They climbed and jumped and flipped their way along the metal and wood, never seeming to need to take a moment to stop, just climbing climbing climbing some more until the three of them were standing on the edge of the building, looking down at him.

"It's okay," North said. "I can take it from here."

"No, no!" Markus called up. "I'm coming." 

He swallowed the lump in his throat and sprinted ahead. There was a piece of plywood angled up and his feet slammed against it as he rushed up. There was a bit of a ledge ahead but if he jumped just right-

Markus' body slammed against the concrete. His hands were holding him up, fingers straining under the effort. He tried to get purchase with his feet, but there was no where to get a grip. He tried to pull himself up but, well, he wasn't exactly the epitome of good shape.

He could hear Echo and Ripple laughing and he growled. He willed his body to pull itself up but it simple didn't work. 

"Need a hand there, superman?"

Markus looked up. North was squatting on the top of the ledge, smirking as she held an arm out to him. He grabbed it and let her help pull him up.

"Sorry," he said. He stood up and rubbed his elbows. "I was uh, working out a lot yesterday and I guess I'm just a little fatigued."

North snorted. "I'm sure. Well, if you don't need my help getting up the rest of the way..."

"No, wait! I-I didn't say that."

North shook her head and helped him up. He was out of breath when they reached the top but he tried to hold it it, not giving them any indication of just how out of shape he was.

Markus followed the women through the abandoned building until they were back out in the open air. A light breeze blew by, and Markus took a deep breath as he shivered. They were by the river, and before them, a large, abandoned boat.

"That's Jericho," Ripple said, pointing to the letters on the side of the boat. She had tears in her eyes.

Echo grabbed her hand. "We made it," she whispered. The pressed their foreheads together. "We're going to be safe now."

Markus smiled at them. They would be safe now. And he had helped. And that felt...good

"C'mon," North said. "Let's get you two home."

The moon was high in the sky and the group teetered across a walkway that connected the building to the boat. There was a door blocking their entrance. North knocked on it. A little slit pulled away and two blue eyes stared at them. 

North smiled and waved. The slit slammed close and the door creaked open. They walked into a tight hallway, turning around on each other as the door closed. 

"You're late tonight," the man inside said. He didn't have and LED or any normal android clothes, but Markus could tell he was one. A pretty common model, easy to tell just by the face.

"Sorry, Daniel." North nodded at Markus. "We had some 'help'."

Daniel looked Markus up and down. "Not one of ours," he said, looking at North with squinted eyes. 

"He's new," North said. "And...not a terrible burden."

"High praise," Echo said. 

Daniel waved them in, turning around. "Let's go then."

He led them through some more hallways, Markus trying to keep track of every turn but only getting more lost as he tried. They eventually opened up into a spacious room. A few groups of androids were huddled around. It was quiet. 

"This is Jericho?" Markus asked.

"It's better than nothing," Ripple said, eyes still teary. She held Echo's arm tight and smiled. "It's safe."

"It is," Daniel said. "No one will be able to hurt you here."

"Isn't there something we can do to help?" Markus asked. He looked back at North. Surely there must be something.

"We don't need your help," Daniel said, sneering at him. 

"But-"

North grabbed his arm. "C'mon. Let's go." 

She started to drag him away but something -someone- caught his eye below. He pulled out of North's grasp and raced down the stairs, ignoring her and Daniel's calls. He ran right towards the figure he had seen, looking practically as put together as the first time they saw each other.

"Leo? You're alive!?"

Leo startled, looking at Markus with wide eyes and fast breath. "Markus?" He looked around, spying North and Daniel running up to him. 

"You're alive!" Markus shouted. He felt something bubbling in his chest. It could be happiness, but he figured it was more likely a withdraw symptom being agitated by the excitement. 

"What are you doing here?"

North finally caught up to them. "You two know each other?"

Leo furrowed his eyebrows at her. "You two know each other?"

"He was helping me bring a few ladies in tonight," North explained, waiting for an answer to her question.

Leo just turned his confused stare back to Markus. "You were helping?"

Markus shrugged. "I, uh...Dad made me," he blurted out. "Community service!" No need to let them know he had feelings for androids or anything.

"Carl..." Leo looked down, then to the side. "I have to go, excuse me."

"Leo, wait!" Markus reached out for him but Leo was already gone, disappearing behind a little curtained off room. Markus deflated.

"How do you know Leo?" North asked.

"He's my dad's. Well, he used to be my dad's." Markus stared at the curtain, he had half a mind to just run in there and drag Leo home. But...he looked around at all the other androids in the room. Maybe this was his home now, as it was for Echo and Ripple.

"You two should probably get out of here now," Daniel said.

North nodded and Markus didn't fight it as she dragged him away.


End file.
